Cut-speed-accelerating device



- A. M. POWELL CUT SPEED ACCELERATING DEVICE Filed Aug. 6, 1 921 3Sheets-Sheet 1 POWELL /0 Hal. FI6:.2.

/NVENTOR ALBERTMFoWELL;

ATTORNEYS,

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 RETURN BELT INCH) BELT A. M. POWELL CUT SPEEDACCELERATING DEVICE Filed Aug. 6, 1921 E RDTING BELT TIGHT CONE Hfil-CEL cur BELT R TURN SP! //VVEN 7"0R I HLBERT/ZPOWELL.

ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 4- I 1,518,702

A., M. POWELL CUT SPEED ACCELERATING DEVICE Filed Ana. 6, 1921 3Sheets-Sheet 5 //v v ENT'OR ALBERrM/ owELL.

JWW 3 A T'TOR/YE Y5.

Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT M. POWELL, 0F SHREWSBUBY, MASSACHUSETTS.

CUT-SPEED-ACGELERATING DEVICE.

Application filed August 6, 1921.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT M. POWELL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Shrewsbury, in the county ofWorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulCut-Speed-Accelerating Device, of which the following is aspecification.

lVhile capable of general use, this invention is particularly adaptedfor driving a planer, engine-lathe, or other machine tool for thepurpose of increasing the speed of the work or the cutting tool, afterthe tool enters the work in its forward cutting direc tion.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide an improved devicewhereby the incut speed of a planing machine or the like may beincreased and retarded at will after the tool has entered the work atits low speed, and while in cutting action, without stopping or shiftingout the low cutting speed means; to provide an arrangement which willconstitute an improvement over my prior Patents Nos. 93 2,83? and1,013,439, in which the slow and accelerating speed action was securedby means shown as connected to and constituting a part of the main ordriving shaft of the planer itself; to provide this improvement in aform in which the rotating element that carries the speed changingmechanism can itself be arranged to rotate constantly in the samedirection and preferably at the same speed instead of applying thismechanism to the planer driving shaft which must itself be rotated in aforward and reverse direction alternately and at varying speeds. Theimprovement, therefore, relates to that part of the planer comprising acountershaft, or some equiva lent thereof, which constantly rotates inone direction. This countershaft may be attached to and be a part of theplaner structure, or it may be separate and bolted to the ceiling orother part of the shop. It may receive its power by belt from a mainline shaft or may have a motor connected directly to it for driving it.Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear below.

Reference is to be had to the accompanyv drawings, in which Fig. 1 is anend elevation of a planer shown with the invention applied thereto in asimple form;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the slow speed Serial No. 490,231.

driving pulley on the countershaft with its connecting elementsillustrated on enlarged scale;

Fig. 4: is a diagrammatic view showing a modified way of driving theplaner shaft or the like from a counter-shaft in accordance with thisinvention;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing another modification Fig. 6 is a sideview, partly in section, of the driving device for the slow speed partof the trans-mission, and

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4: of another form of the invention.

Referring first to the first sheet of drawings, it is to be noted that Ihave shown the invention as applied to a wellknown type of planer havinga bed or frame 10 and a reciprocating table 11 for carrying the workunder a tool-carriage 12 of well known form. This planer is shown ashaving the usual driving shaft 13 adapted to be driven by a countershaft14. This countershaft may be hung down from the ceiling if desired, butI have shown it mounted on brackets 15 carried at the top of the frame16 which supports the tool carriage of the planer.

The countershaft 14tis driven by belts on tight and loose pulleys 17, orby motor if desired, constantly in one direction and preferably at aconstant speed. I have indicatedL several pulleys on the countershaftand the driving shaft, and by the letters T and L indicated which arethe tight pulleys and which are the loose pulleys. In the first placethere are three wide-faced pulleys 20, 21 and 22 on the countershaftlet. The pulleys 20 and 21 are tight pulleys in the ordinary sense, asthey are keyed directly to the shaft. The pulley 22 is called a tightpulley because it is positively driven by the shaft, although it is notkeyed directly to it as will appear. The pulley 20 is shown as driving,by a cross belt, a pair of pulleys 23, one tight and one loose on theshaft 13. A pair of tight and loose pulleys 24 are driven by the pulley21, and a pair of tight and loose pulleys 25 by the pulley 22. The beltson the pulleys 20 and 22 are both of the same character, that is, if oneis a cross belt, both are, while the belt-on the pulley 21 is of theopposite character, in this case an open belt.

. One purpose of these several pulleys is to drive the driving shaft 13and therefore'the table 11 through any usual connection at a low speedforward for the cutting stroke through the pulleys 22 and 25 tointroduce the tool into the work at a comparatively low speed. Thepulley 20, through the tight pulley 23, drives the shaft 18 at a highspeed .111 the same direction. That is, it is intended to take up thedriving of the shaft 13 and accelerate it after the tool enters thework. The pulleys 21 and 24 are for driving the shaft 13, andconsequently the table 12, in the reverse direction for the reverse ornoncutting stroke.

Fixed on the countershaft l l, that is keyed to it, is a drum 26. Thisdrum carries a ratchet pawl 27 constantly pressed by a spring 28 againstan internal circular ratchet 29 which constitutes a part of the pulley22, in the form shown, the inside of its hub. The ratchet pawl extendsforwardly in the direction of rotation of the countershaft 14,

and the teeth of the ratchet extend in the same direction. Therefore,under normal conditions, the shaft 14;, through the pawl 27, constantlydrives the pulley 22 forwardly at the angular velocity of thecountershaft. This pulley, being smaller than the pulley and the pulleybeing preferably larger than the pulley 23, power is thus transmitted tothe driving shaft 13 at a slow speed.

Now, however, if it is desired to increase the speed of the table, afterhaving introduced the tool 'nto the work at slow speed as just aboveindicated, the belt on the pulley 20 can. be shifted over to the tightpulley from the loose pulley. @n account of the relationship of thepulleys 20, 22, 23 and 25 the shaft 13 will now be rotated at a higherspeed for the remainder of the cutting stroke until the belt on thepulley 20 is shifted back to the loose pulley. The effect of this is todrive the pulley 22 by means of the pulley 25 in a forward direction,but at a higher speed than it would be driven by the countershaft 1ithrough the ratchet mechanism shown in Fig. This acceleration can takeplace in any degree, and with any desired rapidity of change. Because ofthe ratchet arrangement, the pulley 22 simply rotates faster than thedrum 26 and the pawl ratchets over the ratchet teeth in what isrelatively a backward direction, although both are moving forward.

In the description above given it will be.

obvious that the changes can be made by hand belt shifters if desired,and that the two belts on the oullevs 20 and can be shifted to the loosepulleys as shown in Fig. 1, and the belt on the pulley 21 shifted byhand to its tight pulley to reverse the table at a high speed. However,I have shown, especially in Fig. 2, means for accomplishthe'rocker 31,shifts'the low cutspeed belt from its loose pulley on its tight pulley,which reverses the direction of table movement towards and against thecutting tool. The table continues to move in this direction, at this lowspeed, until dog 32, which is adjustable on the table, strikes lever 33,which is connected to the belt shitting mechanism, and moves the highspeed out belt from its loose pulley 23 on its ti ht pulley. This turnsthe shaft in the same direction at a higher speed than the first or lowspeed cut belt, the increased speed increases the velocity of travel oflow speed cut belt and, by means of the ratchet pulley on the countershaft, releases itself and remains loose until dog 34, also adjustableon table, advances and engages or strikes rocker 35. l his depresses thelatter, moving the belt shifting mechanism backwards, which moves thehigh speed cut belt off its tight pulley 23 on its loose pulley. Thenthe low speed cut belt again takes hold and advances the table at thelow cut speed, until dog 36, adjustable on the table, engages or strikesrocker 37. This further depresses the latter, moves the belt shiftermechanism backward, throwing off the low cut speed beltfrom its tightpulley 25 on its loose pulley, and further moving the high speed returnbe t on its tight pulley 24. Then the driving shaft turns in theopposite direction, and the table moves on its backward return ornon-cutting stroke. This return or backward travel continues until dog30 again engages rocker 31 when the high speed return belt is thrown offits tight pulley 24- on its loose pulley and the low speed cut beltagain moved from its loose pulley on its tight pulley. Then thetableagain moves forward on its cutting stroke as befor A conventionalform of belt shifter is indicated in the drawings.

The addition of otheraccelerating and retarding dogs adjustable on thetable, in an obvious way, would allow the acceleration and retardationof the forward cutt=ng stroke of the table as often as may be desired tomeet the requirements of the work to be planed, in other words, workconsist-- ing of spots to be planed and open spaces not to be planed.The cutting tool can plane the spots at low speed and jump over aps orspaces at high speed thereby savi i, very materially the usual time ofplaning with the regular one speed cutting planer. I do notwish toconfine myself to the use of my invention in the planing machine alone,but its application to other machines or mechanism where it is desirableand profitable to increase its work, producing speeds from a low speedto ahi'gh speed duringaction without stopping the continuity of actionwhen a low speed 15 changed to a h gher speed and-reverse.

In this way it will be seen'that I have avoided the location of themeans for acceleration on the main driving shaft of the planerstructureitself and thus simplified the arrangement, because I haveplaced it on a shaft which rotates constantly in a single direction andpreferably at a constant speed. This not only simplifies theconstruction, and reduces repairs, but it reduces the amount of staticenergy wasted in the reversing of the parts each time the planer tableis reversed or accelerated. In this way a serious handicap present informer Constructions is avoided. I wish it to be distinctly understoodthat I am not claiming any novelty in this patent over the form of dogsand belt shifting control set forth in my prior patents. If the machineshould bespeeded up too high for the work at hand, so that the high cutspeed belt would be thrown off, the low speed device would come intooperation automatically.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. a, substantially the sameconditions are present, except that the tight pulley has substituted forit a tight cone pulley 40 and a corresponding cone pulley 43 on thedriving shaft for producing a number of de grees of acceleration. Thecone pulley 4:3 is itself loose on the driving shaft and is connectedwith it by a clutch 4:4 operated by a shifting rod 45 to clutch it totheshaft as desired. This constitutes the only change in this form, and nofurther explanation is necessary. I have shown the driving shaft asprovided with a pinion 4:6 driving a gear 7 which, through pinion a8,drives a gear -l-9 which directly operates the table.

In the form shown in Fig. 5 the conditions pervailing in Fig. l arerepeated, except that the forward reverse driving pulleys 20 and 21 arecombined so as to have only one tight pulley between the two loosepulleys of the driven pair shown below in that figure. In this case thecorresponding pulleys below are also combined and I have shown anothermodification in that the pulleys 25 are not mounted on the driving shaft13, but on a separate shaft which in turn, through gears 51, drives theshaft 13 when connected for that purpose. In this case the ratchetmechanism illustrated in Fig. 6 is mounted on the main driving shaft 13in connection with the cars 51. It operates just the same as in ig. 1.and need not be described further in detail. In this form some of theadvantages set forth in connection with Fig. 1 are not secured becausethe ratchet mechanism is on a shaft which is reversed.

In the form shown in Fig. 7, conditions are very nearly the same asthose shown in Fig. 4, as I have merely substituted a geometrical conepulley for the conventional cone pulley 30, and of course the sameisforward or back directly by the pulleys on the countershaft, but isdriven through an intermediate shaft 64: on which the pulley 63 ismounted. The reversing pulley 21 drives tight and loose pulleys 24located on this shaft 64 also which drives the shaft 13 through gears61. In this case the pulley 60 has two cylindrical portions, one for theincut at the small end of the cone and the other for the acceleration atthe large end of the cone, and a belt shifting arrangement 65 isprovided capable of shifting the belt all the way up the cone. In thiscase also the ratchet mechanism is located in the gear 61 as in Fig. 6.

Although I have illustrated and described several forms of the inventionI am aware of the fact that other modifications can be made thereinand'that the invention can be applied to other machines than planers oreven machine tools in general without departing from the scope of theinvention as expressed in the claims.

Therefore I do not wish to be limited in these respects, but what I doclaim is:

1. In a machine having a working part movable back and forth, thecombination of a shaft arranged and adapted to be driven constantly inthe same direction, and a shaft on said machine connected with saidworking part to operate it, of power and speed.

transmission means fast on the first named shaftand connected with thesecond shaft to operate the second shaft from. the first shaft in onedirection at a slow speed and in the opposite direction at a rapidspeed, and means mounted on the first shaft and connected with thesecond shaft to transmit power to the second shaft in the direction inwhich it is driven by said slow speed means, but an increased speedwhile the slow speed means is still in condition for action, the slowspeed driven means being capable of being rendered temporarilyinoperative while the high speed means is in action without stopping thecontinuity of the rotation of the first named shaft.

2.111 a machine of the character described, the combination of areciprocating working part with a counter-shaft, means for driving thecounter-shaft constantly in the same direction,v means fast on thecounter-shaft for transmitting power to said working part to move it ata rapid constant speed in its non-working direction, a second meansconnected with said countershaft for driving the working part in theopposite cutting direction at a fixed continuous slow speed, a thirdmeans connected with the counter-shaft for driving the working table inthe cutting direction at a higher contin- I In a machine of thecharacter uous speed, the said second means on the it remains in action,and means constituting a part of said machine for transmltting saidmotions to the said working part.

3. In a machine of the character de scribed, the combination of areciprocating table for holding the work, a couutershaft arranged andadapted to be rotated constantly in one direction, a power shaftparallel to the first shaft mounted on said machine,transmission meansconnecting said shafts comprising three transmission elements, oneconstructed and arranged to rotate the second shaft at a high rate ofspeed in the reverse direction, and two of them being'constru-cted andarranged to rotate the 'se'o'ond shaft at two different speeds in theforward or cutting direction and comprising a low speed transmittingmeans, means for automatically rendering the low speed. trans- :missionmeans inoperative when the higher speed transmission means is in action,and means whereby the three transmission means can be put into and outof action, singly or together, without stopping the constant ro tation'of the countershaft.

described, the combination of a reciprocatory 'worktable,a countershaftarranged to be rotated constantly in one direction, a table drivingshaft mounted on the machine, a

geartrain connected with the driving shaft to transmit its rotation tothe table in the form of reciprocation, avplurality of pulleys fast onthe counter-shaft, a corresponding number of tight and loose pulleys onthe driving shaft, the sizes of said several pulleys being so relatedthat two of the pulleys oh-the c-ountershaft will drive the drivingshaft in its forward cutting direction at a low and at a high speedrespectively, and that the third pulley on the countershaft "will drivethe driving shaft in the reverse direction'at a high speed, means forconnecting the smaller of the first two pulleys on the countershaftpositively with the countershaft comprising a ratchet mechanism operatedpositivel'grby the countershaft which will operate idly when the drivingshaft is driven at a higher speed through the other of rotation,increasing the velocity, or stop ping, the countershaft.

5. in a machine of the character described, the combination of a frame,a reciprocatory table thereon for carrying the work, a countershaftconstantly driven in a single direction, a driving shaft on the machinehaving means for moving the table forward or backward in accordance withthe direction of rotation of'said driving shaft, two tight pulleys onthe countershaft, two pairs of tight and loose pulleys on the drivingshaft for receiving rotation froin the respective tight pulleys on thecountershaft, an open belt on one of said pairs of pulleys, and a. crossbelt on the other, a third pair of-tight and loose pulleys on thedriving shaft larger in diameter than said two pairs of tight and loosepulleys, a third wide-faced pulley on the counter-shaft, a drum keyed tothe countershaft inside the third pulley, the third pulley being adaptedto turn freely on the countershaft and having a hub having acircumferential series of ratchet teeth, and a ratchet pawl on the drumengaging in said teeth to permit the hub and the third pulley to turnfreely in the forward direction at the speed of the counter shaft orfaster, whereby, when the belts on the first named countershaft pulleysare connected with the lose driving shaft pulleys, the driving shaft canbe driven forward at a slow speed from the third pulley on thecountershaft, and whereby, without shifting that belt, the other tightpulley on the countershaft can be connected with its tight pulley on thedriving shaft to rotate the driving shaft immediately at a higher speedand rotate the third pulley on the countershaft forwardly at a higherspeed without necessitat ing the shifting of the third belt.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ALBERT M. POWELL.

